Announcing: The 2015 LGBT Sampler – A Taste of the Rainbow

Vitality Presents… The 2015 LGBT Sampler – A Taste of the Rainbow

We’re now taking entries for a LGBT Sampler we plan to release in October 2015. The idea is to create a free-to-download sampler of projects created by members of the LGBT community, containing excerpts of books for sale, webcomics to read, or art to check out online.

Promoting and spotlighting LGBT media is something Vitality believes strongly in. Readers want books representing their identities! They want to see themselves having adventures! But the creators who are making the exact things those readers want are often small groups with low budgets who don’t get as much attention as mainstream media. We’re hoping this sampler will be a great way to put awesome LGBT work into the hands of those who are looking for it.

Please help us by spreading the word. This entire endeavor hinges on creators and readers finding the project (and thus finding each other)! Also help us by submitting your own project to be presented in the sampler, or emailing your favorite author, webcomic artist, youtube channel, etc. and telling them to list their work.

A 50-word text listing in the sampler is completely free, with larger ad space and excerpts costing a very low fee between $3 and $8. Charities and non-profit organizations get a half-page ad block for free as well.

Entries are due by 09/18/15.

Guidelines & Details

All projects submitted to the sampler must be created by members of the LGBT community. Even if your project contains LGBT characters but you yourself are straight – this is not a sampler for you. If there is a group of people involved in your project, the head of the project and/or the majority of those involved must be members of the LGBT community.

It is A-Okay if your project is not LGBT-oriented, as long as you are LGBT. :)

Up to 3 projects per creator. Related projects, such as books in a series, count as one entry. But if you had unrelated projects, such as a hard sci-fi novel, a contemporary romance novel, and a children’s book, those three would all be acceptable to list as separate entries.

Projects must be recent or regularly updated.

If the project is a single thing – a book, a movie, an album, a game, etc. – it must have been released in the last 3 years.

If it’s a project that is regularly updated (a webcomic, a youtube channel, etc.) it must have been updated in the last six months (if it’s COMPLETED, such as a webcomic that has finished its story, the final update must have been in the last year. If it’s accessed as a download, book for sale, etc. instead of just archives on a webpage, the last 3 years rule applies).

If it is a crowdfunding project or something with a limited window, it must be open and active throughout the entire month of October 2015, when the sampler will be released.

If the project is coming soon, it must either be coming out before the end of 2015, or be open for pre-orders, AND have been updated in the last six months. The date of release MUST be visible in spreads and listed on the entry form.

We don’t want to disappoint people with broken links, projects that are never updated, Kickstarters that are over, or books that came out ten years ago.

No offensive projects. It is up to our discretion whether we find a project offensive. In general – projects involving any -ism (racism, sexism, etc.) will be rejected. If your piece is anti-LGBT it will obviously be rejected.

Excerpts and images must be PG-13. No graphic sexual content, extreme violence, gore, abuse, etc. Your project may be any rating (examples: erotic novels, gorey horror film) but things present in the sampler must be PG-13.

Free ad space will be provided for charities and non-profit organizations involved in LGBT issues or literary projects. Literary meaning involved in any of the arts – writing, music, film, art, game design, etc.

If your piece is rejected for not adhering to our guidelines, you will receive a refund.

Entry Types:

FREE – A 50-word promo blurb about your project listed with the title, your place in the LGBT community, project URL, and classification by genre/project type and which identities are present.

FREE FOR CHARITIES/ORGANIZATIONS – Up to 1/2 page (3.5″ x 5″) full-color ad block. If you do not have an ad, submit text and images and we will create one for you.

$3 – A two page, full-color spread. You can design it yourself or submit text and images and we will create a nice listing for your project. (The title and the creator’s place in the LGBT community must be included or they will be added for you. Classification of identities present in the project will be represented by colored dots and will be added to your page to keep listings uniform.)

$5 – A single full-page, full-color listingwith an excerpt/sample of your book up to 5,000 words. You are free to design your page or submit images and text and we will design it for you. (The title and the creator’s place in the LGBT community must be included or they will be added for you. Classification of identities present in the project will be represented by colored dots and will be added to your page to keep listings uniform.)

$8 – A single full-page, full-color listingwith an excerpt/sample of your book up to 10,000 words. You are free to design your page or submit images and text and we will design it for you. (The title and the creator’s place in the LGBT community must be included or they will be added for you. Classification of identities present in the project will be represented by colored dots and will be added to your page to keep listings uniform.)

Extra donations are appreciated! Proceeds go to designing, advertising, and hosting the sampler, and supporting Vitality Magazine, a literary magazine that publishes work featuring LGBT characters.